Don't Make Me Laugh
by G. Kimmero
Summary: There's no other way to put this. I am a killer. I've been trained to block my emotions. And anyone else. I am merciless. I am Mikan Sakura. R&R! T (mild swearing, maybe a few hot scenes ;D) NatMik, RukHot other couples too!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello people! So this will be my first story and I really hope I get some good reviews and favorites too! So review my story and please tell me if I should keep this story up! It is about Gakuen Alice but on my own take. There are Alices but the Academy isn't evil and well, let's just say some others are! So please don't click out but read, review, favorite and follow! Thanks! **

**Disclaimer: Would love to own and would take the chance in a heartbeat to own but cannot… *****tear*******

**SO LET'S BEGIN!**

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There are times where you want to disappear and there are times where, no matter what the circumstance is, you want to be there all the time. This moment that I am in now, being held in a hot guy's arms, is a moment where I want to disappear from. Now some people may ask why I want to disappear because well, it's a really hot, sexy guy. But when you're being hugged by your archenemy, you will rethink that choice of staying in that moment.

My name, my full name, is Mikan Sakura Yukihara. I am 16 years old and still growing. My family is known for the shortness in height in the family members. So naturally, I am only 5'1" give or take a little half-inch. I still can never pinpoint my height correctly. It's kind of sad but a little advantageous at the same time. I could just squeeze through crowds that could basically strangle someone just from walking through. Anyways, enough of that talk. I need to tell you the details of this situation. I'll start from the point before I met this guy.

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"Hey! You dumbass! Wake the hell up!" I was shaken awake by my a-hole of a brother, Tsubasa. Groaning, I opened my eyes blearily.

"What do you want, bro?" I murmured, still half-asleep. He sighed in exasperation.

"You need to go to school, dumb-a. It's about 6:10 in the morning. You're gonna be late for your first day…" His voice faded as he walked downstairs to the table. I threw off the covers and stretched my arms over my head. Quickly washing my face, I chose a black, half-sleeved crop top, sky-high jeggings, fuzzy socks (because who doesn't like fuzzy socks?), my worn, black combat boots, and a colorful scarf. I pushed in my restraining earrings, clasped a restraining necklace around my neck and pushed a bracelet around my wrist. All the jewelry looked normal so I nodded my head at the mirror and threw open my bedroom door. The weather outside wasn't that warm but it wasn't cold enough for a jacket to be needed. I grabbed a bagel from the food set up on the kitchen table. Looking at the clock, I grabbed my keys to my car, even though I was only 16 and a half, put my sunglasses on, and threw the door open.

"Bro! I'm going now!" A faint reply came back in return to my call.

"Yeah! Have fun and don't cause trouble!" I snorted, slammed the door and unlocked my car, a brand-new, red 2014 Audi TT RS. **(A/N: I have absolutely no knowledge of cars and I really want this one to be my own car. So if you guys don't like it then please recommend some more if you would like!) **I revved the engine and backed out of the driveway. As I was driving, the neighborhoods flashed by my windows, giving me small glimpses of the houses and roads. Soon, I reached the gates of the high school. I grimaced. There was too much evidence of the "rich kids' school" kind of vibe. I parked my car in one of the best spaces meant for those sports cars, right in front of the doors. As I stepped out of the car, I heard a scream behind me.

"That bitch! She's parked her dirty, filthy ass-of-a-car on our Prince's spot!" I turned around to see a girl dressed in the most revealing clothes I'd ever seen. Her skirt didn't even reach the bottom of her ass and basically flashed anyone behind her. The tube top covering her chest did just that. Covered her chest. Everything else was all out. There was even a hint of flab sticking out from the top of her skirt. To be honest, she would've been pretty if she worked out a bit more and wore less revealing clothing. Surprisingly, she wasn't wearing any makeup except for a bit of concealer on some terribly black spots that were poking out their edges from underneath the small layers of formula. Her hair was a strawberry blond and cut in a way that was supposed to look cute on her but failed miserably. I looked into her eyes, which were glaring, sparks filling the depths. I smirked and raised one slender, brown eyebrow. The girl backed away from me with a confused look on her face.

"Don't you know who I am?" she shrieked. It wasn't really a grating shriek but it was a shriek nonetheless. Still hurt my ears.

"Agh!" I covered my bleeding ears with my hands. "Geez! Don't go blasting my eardrums out like a frickin grenade. It's only 5 minutes into the new school year and I'm already surrounded with barking seals." I took away my hands only to feel someone else's hands placed on them.

"Where have you been my whole life?" A husky, deep voice reverberates next to my ear, warm air blowing, fanning over my neck. I immediately grabbed the person's arm and flipped him over my shoulder. The guy, as I figured out from the voice, groaned at the impact on the concrete. I blinked and then realized what I had done.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry! Are you alright?" I rushed over to the person's side and offered a hand to him. He looked up through raven black bangs. I jolted my hand back, as if electrocuted. Why? Well… It was just because his eyes, crimson red and flickering as if flames were alive in those irises, were staring into my soul, pulling out my darkest, deepest secrets. I shivered. He raised an eyebrow at my hand which was pulled back near my side. Snapping out of a trance, I jerked my hand to his face. The eyes twinkled with a tiny spark of amusement.

"Well, thanks for the hand, but I don't really need one because I've already got two right here." He waved and wiggled his fingers at me. I rolled my eyes at his joke and kept my hand in the exact same position. He took it and I hauled him up to his feet. His eyes stayed on mine the entire time even though I had sunglasses on.

"What's your name, Miss?" he asked. "I'll make sure a reward for helping the Prince of this school is sent to-"

"Look asshole. I don't want your money or anything else you can offer. Alright?! I didn't realize you were the so-called Prince of Alice Academy but I also didn't realize how much you deserve to have your ass thrown down onto the ground." I sneered and put my sunglasses on top of my head. When he saw my eyes, he flinched a bit but still held his ground because they were probably flaming with rage and hate. "I should've just left you there to rot! After all. You lived your life rich, not knowing any real pain. I'm sure you went through pain once or twice but that doesn't compare to-" I stopped. Did I want to reveal my past to a stranger I just met? Shaking my head, I walked off into the building, shoulders back, head held high, and yet, feet feeling heavy on the pavement.

"What just happened, Natsume?!" A blond haired teenager came jogging down the road, a white bunny hanging from his shoulder as his hands pumped at his sides."I just saw a girl, who helped you up, go walking off after a little speech on her part." He glanced at the boy, who was open-mouthed and gaping at the doorway.

"She's such a rude girl. Right, baby?" The strawberry-blonde girl wrapped her arms around his waist. "Ruka-kun, you should steer Nattie-darling away from her. She won't be bothering my Prince any longer." Natsume shifted his attention to the girl wrapped around him. He grimaced and pushed her away.

"Don't touch me so familiarly, Luna," he said. "Also don't think that you're my girlfriend or anything because you're not. Now go away and leave me and Ruka alone." Luna's eyes widened and tears threatened to spill out and ruin her makeup. She burst into tears and started bawling on the sidewalk. Once in a while she looked up to see if he was looking at her guiltily but all she saw was his back getting farther and farther away towards the front doors. I was watching all this happen from the second floor window of a waiting room for guests. I could hear them because of my Alice, Nullification and Steal/Erase/Copy. I had copied multiple Alices in anticipation of the start of my school year at Alice Academy. I had small amounts of about two dozen Alices. **(A/N: I didn't know how many to give her. 100 is obviously too much but then half a dozen (6) is too little so I thought why not 24? Too much? Too little? Just right?)** I could hear perfectly as if I was standing next to the scene happening below. I looked towards the blooming Sakura tree next to the school. The raven-haired and the blond teenager were walking towards it, seemingly arguing. I smiled.

"Ha... That bastard. He really doesn't remember..."

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**And that's it for the first chapter! So now we know that Mikan is at Alice Academy, Natsume got rejected, Ruka showed up, Luna also got rejected and Mikan is remembering something that Natsume forgot? What? Okay then. So I will start the second chapter and post a chapter every 2 weeks on Saturdays! Please R&amp;R, F&amp;F! Thank you! Also please recommend to other people if you can! THANKS!**

_Preview_

_"Umm who are you?"_

_"Me? Well you had just better find out."_

_She walked towards me with a determined face and then... WHAM!_

_Violet eyes? Porcelain skin?! Is this who I think she is?_

_"Hello again, little niece."_

_"Wait. Are you SURE that it's that same girl as then?"_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey guys! So it's anonymous author G. here. This will be the second chapter of DMML (Don't Make Me Laugh), a Gakuen Alice fanfiction. I know I said that I would post every 2 weeks but I just posted on Wednesday so you guys are getting a treat! Now starting today, January 31st, 2015, the schedule for posts will be every two weeks on Saturday! If I don't post then you can all hit me with any item you would prefer. (Please don't kill me.) **

**SO LET'S BEGIN!**

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"Natsume dear! It's the first day of classes! Do you want to walk to the classroom together?" a voice screeched in my ears again, grinding them down to pieces like cheddar cheese in a grinder. Ouch. I stopped and activated my Long-Distance Hearing Alice.

"Luna, how many times do I have to tell you? Stay away from me. And don't call me dear." That deep, sexy voice rang out and (I gotta say this) grated my ears too. I tied my cardigan around my waist, the breeze blowing along my bare arms.

"Natsume! That's rude." Now a clearer voice spoke. "I'm sorry Luna. He really doesn't want your company today. Maybe tomorrow he'll be in a better mood."

"Ruka, I don't want her company at all. She disgusts me." And with that, he was gone. With a sigh, Ruka trudged after Natsume. I snickered and put on my sunglasses to save my eyes from the sun. _He really doesn't like her does he. Well I guess he shouldn't. That haircut looks hideous,_ I thought. I was walking down the hall when a BOOM and that shrill voice cut through the air again and I wondered what was going on. Feet started to patter towards the windows on all floors. There are about 4 floors in the building and the dorms were like mansions. Of course girls and boys were separated but that didn't stop the boys from sneaking into the girls' dorm or the girls sneaking into the boys' dorm. Looking outside from the main building window, I saw a girl with midnight black hair and a strange machine attached to her left arm. She looked a bit petite, maybe my height with a bobbed haircut suiting her perfectly. Her uniform was crisp, clean and maybe a touch too big on her. I looked across from the strange device that was smoking from the end to the crater that marked the target. Luna lay sprawled on the ground with her hair singed and her eyebrows burned clean off. I couldn't take it the bubbles of laughter rising up in my stomach.

"AHAHAHAHA! HAHA! HAHAHA! WOW! That was amazing!" I jumped off from the window ledge (chillax. It was only the second floor) and landed like a cat on all fours, making sure my skirt didn't flash anyone on the way down. Luckily, no wolf whistles or catcalls followed me down. Only a small (actually no it was pretty loud) gasp of amazement drifted down from above and below.

"Umm who are you?" she murmured. I smiled mysteriously.

"Me? Well you had better just find out." I took another look at her. _Wait. Violet eyes? Porcelain skin?! Is this who I think she is?_ I thought. "Hey, wait. Are you possibly the youngest daughter of the Imai family?" I asked. She looked at me with a stoic face.

"Yes. My name is Hotaru Imai. 16 years old and the Invention Alice. How did you know?" Her face grew dark with suspicion. Then, she walked towards me and flipped my shades off of my face. Her eyes grew wide. I nodded my head, mentally activating my Nullification Alice.

"Mi-Mikan?" she stammered. Fortunately it was too quiet for anyone else to hear but loud enough for me. I smiled softly.

"Hey, Hotaru. Long time no see, eh?" I opened my arms for a hug. Her facial expression changed. She started to walk towards me with a determined face and then…

_Baka! Baka! Baka! Baka! Baka! _My body flew through the air and landed on the ground with a _thump_, dust billowing all over the courtyard.

"Where on earth have you been?" she whispered, putting the gun (not a real one like with bullets) next to my head. I coughed, coughed again and placed a hand on the ground for support.

"Looking for answers. And I found them just in time for high school." I smiled ruefully. She cracked a tiny one back, which was basically equivalent to a huge grin for her. I laughed and launched myself at her, wrapping my arms around her in a tight embrace. She, in turn, hugged me back as tight as a boa constrictor.

"Baka-Mikan. Why didn't you contact me?" she said, her voice muffled against my shoulder. I could've sworn it was a bit choked up. I chuckled softly and stroked her back.

"I had some business to do. Some people to find. Some places to be," I whispered. She pulled out of my arms and held my shoulders at arms length. Hotaru's violet eyes searched mine for a hint, a tiny clue of where I could've been. Her eyebrows creased in disappointment when I looked away.

"Well, now that you're here you might as well stay for the next three years. You missed freshman year though," Hotaru said. I nodded and then headed for my classroom. The kids all along the building windows were confused because they had tried to listen in on the conversation with a kid named Kokoroyome's Alice, the Mind-Reading Alice. I had already nullified it before so he couldn't read my mind. Or Hotaru's mind. All the students had seen were two girls, one shooting the other, then hugging, then walking off to class. Smirking, I cancelled my Nullification.

"Ne, ne, Hotaruu," I whined. "Don't you have your Swan Scooter from elementary school? Can I borrow it just for my first entrance to class?" She shook her head, amused, and gave the folded scooter to me. I beamed and thanked her.

***Ding dong dang dong***

"Alright class!" Mr. Narumi clapped his hands, a sparkly pink ring shining on his finger. He made to close the door but then three silhouettes appeared in the doorway.

"Oi, Gay-Sensei. Move it. You're in the way." And then the figures pronounced themselves as Ruka, Natsume and Luna, her eyebrows hideously drawn in with eyebrow pencil. The students winced when they noticed Luna's eyebrows. They didn't comment on it because then it would have made the Queen Bee angry. Mr. Narumi wordlessly stepped aside and rolled his eyes. The trio took the last row of seats.

"So, continuing on with what I was going to say, we have a new student among use today!" Gasps and mixes of whispers circulated the room. Hotaru being Hotaru, didn't look up from her technology project. She already knew who was the new person. She smirked a tiny bit.

"Narumi-Sensei! Who's the new person? Come on. Tell us!" a girl exclaimed. He grinned.

"Well, then, let's find out, shall we?" He nodded to the door. "Will you come in please?"

**Hey guys! I'm back! So this chapter is very very veeerrrrryyyyyyyyy short but I didn't have enough time to create a real chapter. SO I will start doing more than 1000 worded chapters but for this one, I didn't even have a quarter of the time I allowed myself. So please wait for two weeks! I may even shorten the time to one week per chapter so please please please! Help me spread this new story from one person to another! Thank you so much! Please Read and Review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey everyone! Anonymous G here. I **_**FINALLY**_** figured out the mystery of my chapter uploadings! GAHHHHHHH and now I can post my chapters up again! So I said in my 2****nd**** chapter that I might shorten the time slot to one week per chapter. I got some advice from my friend that I should move the date up so that you guys can enjoy the new chapters! From now on, I will post chapters every week! So on that note, please Read and Review! Also if you can recommend this to other people as well! Thank you! **

**Let's begin!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gakuen Alice. I would love to and then I would make Natsume kiss Mikan in the episodes. I would also keep making more episodes and then Mikan and Natsume would get together, Ruka and Hotaru would get together, and other things too. (But it's only a dream…)**

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***Flashback***

"Narumi-Sensei! Who's the new person? Come on. Tell us!" a girl exclaimed. He grinned.

"Well, then, let's find out, shall we?" He gestured to the door. "Will you come in please?"

***Present***

The door opened slowly, a bit too slowly in the minds of the High School Division Class 1-A. The girl stepped into the classroom and walked with grace to the center of the whiteboard. She took a black marker from the little clip and wrote her name down. 'Yukihira Mikan' She put the marker down and turned around to let the class see her full-on. Her hazelnut hair shone with a soft shine that guaranteed its silkiness. Her eyes were a soft brown, not a muddy brown, but a brown that had little hints of hazel, gold, and a cappuccino color. They panned across the room and met with the violet eyes of Hotaru. Hotaru smirked a bit and returned to her project. Natsume, bored already placed his manga book on his face and leaned back. Ruka, petting his little bunny, sighed exasperatedly at his best friend's attention problems.

"My name is Mikan Yukihira. I am 16 years old and have the Nullification Alice. Nice to meet you all," she said, boredom clearly shining in her eyes. Narumi-Sensei nodded his head and looked to the classroom.

"Okay then. Are there any questions?" He pointed to a girl with green seaweed-like hair, permed to the ends.

"Yukihira-san, what ability class are you in?" she asked. Mikan looked straight at the girl and blinked once.

"I'm in the Dangerous Ability Class. I am also a Special Star," she replied. Natsume, who had his face covered with a manga book, shot up and stared at the girl. Ruka stopped petting Bunny and also stared at her with confusion. There were only 13 students in the Dangerous Ability except for Natsume, a baldy named Tsubasa, and some other kids. Natsume hadn't chosen a partner for his missions, that no one but Persona, Ruka and the Dangerous Ability class knew about, so he was always alone. But now that there was a new girl in the Dangerous Ability, Natsume would most definitely need to accept her as his partner. He grimaced when he heard "Dangerous Ability" and knew he would have trouble assaulting him soon enough. Ruka glanced at Natsume, worried.

"Hoy, Natsume. Is this true?" Ruka asked him. Natsume shook his head, clueless.

"I guess we'll see what'll happen after lunch."

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***Lunchtime***

"Ne, Yukihira-san, why did you transfer to Alice Academy?" a girl, named Nonoko Ogasawara, asked. Her soft midnight blue hair sat in a shoulder-length cut, bangs pinned back with a small butterfly clip. Her sapphire colored eyes sparkled with a bit of a mischievous light. The girl next to her, named Anna Umenomiya, looked up from her dancing croutons in her caesar salad.

"Yes, please tell us," she encouraged. Mikan looked around the table she sat at. Nonoko sat right across from her, Anna next to Nonoko, Hotaru next to Mikan, and a senpai named Misaki Harada on Mikan's other side. She had met Mikan who was on her way to Dangerous Ability Class and spoke with her. After confirming that Mikan was a new student, Misaki had dragged her to the cafeteria and introduced her to Anna, and Nonoko. Of course she already knew Hotaru.

"Hoy, baka. They spoke to you, ya know." Hotaru rolled her eyes at the spaced-out look on Mikan's face. She sheepishly cracked a small smile.

"Oh, why I came to this Academy? It's sort of a long story but I guess I could tell you guys," she said. "But please don't tell anyone-"

"Look! Nattie-dear, the trash is talking with other trash. Except for Hotaru," a slightly (not slightly at all) screechy voice rang out from behind Mikan's head. She turned around, a stoic expression already set on her face. On the other hand, Luna Koizumi's face was sneering, and adoring Natsume at the same time, the expressions switching fast enough to be hilarious. Natsume, whose poor arm was being sucked in by the leech, grimaced and unattached himself from the girl. Mikan raised an eyebrow and gestured for Luna to go continue what she was saying.

"So?" she said. "Are you done now? Because I'd like to get back to my own delicious lunch instead of looking at your ugly face." Luna gasped as if no one else had ever called her ugly, which was true. Even Natsume had never went so far to call her ugly.

"Hahahahahaha! You're a funny girl aren't ya," a male voice sounded suddenly from behind Misaki this time. Mikan turned towards the stranger. Dark blue hair, a star tattoo on his left cheek, and a lean, clearly sculpted body greeted her sight. She scoffed at the guy's attempts to hug Misaki, which failed ultimately and resulted in his head swelling with a welt from her iron-like fist.

"Aww come on, Misaki-chan! I know that you like me," he said. She smirked and shook her head.

"So this idiot's Tsubasa Andou and he's also part of the Dangerous Ability Class too," Misaki said. Mikan raised her eyebrow again.

"Really… This cheerful guy? Ha!" She laughed once sharply. "What Alice?" Mikan asked Tsubasa.

"Oh I have a Shadow-Controlling Alice," he replied, eyes flicking to the right just the slightest bit. She nodded.

"I guess I should call you senpai but I think I won't bother doing that until I really get to know everyone," she murmured just loud enough for him to hear. Smirking, Mikan rose and took her tray.

"Oh and Luna? I advise you not to use such a salmon-colored concealer. It looks like you're a beagle." And with that, she disappeared from the cafeteria. Shocked looks followed her out the door. It was at that moment that one single person moved to follow her and everyone's gaze whipped towards the movement. Immediately, they looked away because staring directly at the Prince of Alice Academy would cause for punishment from the Prince's Fan Club, run by the recently-insulted Luna Koizumi.

"Natsume?" Ruka called.

"Don't worry, Ruka. I'm just going to class," he replied with a glance over his shoulder. Everyone's eyes widened in surprise. They knew that Natsume was notorious for skipping class but never had they heard about him wanting to actually attend class. What was that girl doing to the Prince?


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hola! Anonymous G here. There is a surprise for people reading this and that is…**

***drum roll***

**MY BIRTHDAY! (February 28****th****)**

**Thank you. Thank you. *bows* So in a celebration for my birthday, (not saying my age because for all you guys AND gals (I didn't forget you) know, I could be a 32-year-old guy just bored and typing this just for boredom's sake. HA! As if! Pshhh I'm a young girl, living her life out there and waiting for a Prince Charming to sweep me off my feet.**

**Natsume: Hmph. We know that's never going to happen.**

**Mikan: Nattie! That's mean. You know how much time Author-san puts into these stories? I will hit you upside the head if you keep grumbling.**

**Natsume: She's never going to get a boyfriend because she's friends with too many guys. She talks to everyone and annoys a lot of them too. Just look at her face! I doubt there's a person alive who would want-**

**Me: *slaps across face with paper fan (filled with iron bars *evil face*)***

**Natsume: **_**Kono**_**…. *activates fire alice* Get back here! **

**Me: Aiyaa! *runs away***

**Natsume: *follows with fireball in hand and demon horns on head***

**Mikan: *smirks* Well I guess I can kinda agree to what he said. Let's get on with the show! G does not own Gakuen Alice or any of the other characters. Except for her own OC's, she can't own any of us.**

**Let's begin!**

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"Oy! Natsume! Wait up!" Ruka called down the hallway. The boy stopped and waited next to a door marked with a bloody arrow, visible only to those in the Dangerous Class.

"What Ruka?"

"Is it true? That you're going to class only to see Yukihira-san?" he asked, forehead creased with worry. Natsume nodded for a second and then shook his head no. Ruka smiled ruefully.

"So which is it? Yes or no?"

"…"

Ruka waited patiently, knowing if he stood there, Natsume would answer eventually.

"It's a yes… There's something about that girl that gets me on my nerves. It's been bothering me since this morning," Natsume explained. "For one thing, that girl seems to be a little too close to some people like Imai." Ruka's eyes widened.

"You mean that Ice Queen?" he asked incredulously. Natsume nodded. He had seen the relationship between the two girls that morning. He had seen it but not believed it. Not believed it until he had seen the way that Imai reacted when that brat was introducing herself to the class.

"Yeah. I think this is gonna be interesting," he said, allowing himself a small smirk.

"Oh you think?" Ruka said sarcastically. "I think it's gotten interesting already."

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ***Time skip*** \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

"Haa…" Mikan sighed. She collapsed her load onto the queen-size bed provided to Special Star students and then collapsed herself into a bean bag next to the nightstand. It had been a pretty long day. She had started the day off with a disgusting mistake of overhearing a conversation, then she had slammed into Hotaru, and then during the Dangerous Ability Class, Natsume had entered with a *bang* and ruined her perfectly normal first day.

***flashback***

*_BANG_* The loud sound caused all the students in the classroom to look up. Or at least glance at the door. Even the students who ignored everything that went on in the class flicked their eyes at the door. After all, no one just barges into the Dangerous Ability classroom unless they have a death wish. Honestly, no one would even dare to knock. They would only shake outside the door until Persona, the teacher (more like supervisor) for the class escorted them in. Mikan, seated at the farthest corner from the door, looked up in surprise.

"Where's the new girl?" a deep voice bellowed. Persona stepped through the door and surveyed the room, dark eyes glinting dangerously underneath his half-mask. Mikan stood up with her hands in her pockets, her hazel eyes already emotionless and seemingly cold. Natsume entered behind Persona and was surprised to see Mikan staring him down in a showdown. Persona broke the contact and barely nodded, showing his approval.

"Hyuuga, with me. Yukihira, you too," he ordered. "Everyone else, don't do anything stupid or I will kill you." The students left in the room ignored him and went back to minding their own business. Persona led the pair into another dark room. Flicking on the light, he strode over to a table laden with Alice controllers of all shapes and types of jewelry and masks.

"So, Persona," Natsume started, "why did you call this brat along with me?" Persona thinly smiled and gestured to the room and the table behind him. Natsume looked around more closely and noticed a TV screen and a couple sofas with plush pillows carelessly strewn on top.

"Natsume-kun, you will watch Yukihira as she undertakes her first mission. Alone," Persona said without a hint of pity. Mikan didn't react to the statement because she had already figured that the school's board would want to know how strong she was and whether she would be specially treated or just thrown aside like a used tissue. Mikan stared at the table laid with accessories. She put her hair up in a high ponytail, tying the chest-length hair in a bun with an elastic band on her arm. Natsume stared at the gleaming amount of jewelry on her person, mouth slightly gaping.

_How many controllers does she have?! There are so many of them on her, _he thought. _1… 2… 3… 4… 5… 6… 7… 8_...

Mikan noticed Natsume staring, and allowed herself a small smirk, unseen to the still-gaping boy. She unclasped the two necklaces, the bracelet and the bangle and placed them in a metal case made for jewelry, lying on the tabletop. Then she proceeded to take off her earrings, two in both ears. To the normal person's eye, the jewelry would've looked harmless but in truth they were Alice controllers, to limit the power of the person wearing it. It was common among the Dangerous Class to have at most 3 pieces of controllers but no one in the class had ever heard of anyone wearing 8 pieces at a time. Their Alice would have to be immensely powerful and destructive. And yet, the new girl, a seemingly "normal" student in the Dangerous Class had the potential for that amount of power.

"Hey, take a picture if you want to stare some more." Natsume shook out of a daze at the sound of sarcastic commenting. He narrowed his eyes at the back of the girl.

_How powerful is she that she needs 8 controllers on her daily?_ he wondered.

Mikan sensed the fire-caster's gaze burning on her back. She chuckled to herself as she let her hand skim over the many controllers. Selecting a pair of scarlet wing-shaped studs and a pair of black crescent-moon studs, she pushed them into the holes in her ears, then proceeded to clasp a thin (but durable) chain necklace with a skull hanging at the end around her neck. She selected a light silver ring decorated with words in symbols called Zaiphon **(A/N: by the way, I am not copywriting right now because I'm turning the name Zaiphon from 07-Ghost (if you have not watched this anime, YOU MUST WATCH IT! Warning: not meant for people under the age of 12) into my own thing in this story. Hey give me some credit here!)** and lastly, she fastened a sleek, black, vertical half-mask shaped like a wolf. Satisfied, she turned around to see Persona fastening a note on a silver rose, the flower of protection. Mikan snorted. How ironic this was, that she was going to destroy someone's life after giving that person a flower of protection with a note fastened to it. Natsume had sat down on the plush couch and was on his phone, ordering pizza and coke.

_Typical,_ she thought. Out loud she said, "Alright. Where's the first mission?" Persona handed her an earpiece. She screwed it into her ear, enough to stay in even when fighting.

"Well, since it is your first mission, I was thinking something not that hard," Persona murmured. He pushed a button on the side of the TV and an image of a map flickered to life. There was a caption at the top left corner of the screen. Mikan's eyes widened slightly and then closed. Natsume, on the other hand, couldn't take it.

"Why?!" he yelled. "Why does it have to be the Hijiri family?" Persona didn't give any sign that he heard him. He merely pushed a key into the Portal door and the doors opened, shining with a flickering light.

"She isn't going to kill the Hijiri family." Both the teenagers' heads jerked up at that sentence. "There are other people in the house. The guests are the ones guilty of slaving children with Alices and beating them to death. According to the sources, they are a part of a new cult that believe that Alice children are cursed and must be killed by beating. Their next target is the child, Youichi Hijiri but they need an extra night to get the child to come to them. That's why Yukihira-kun is going to kill them tonight." Natsume visibly relaxed, as did Mikan. Slightly confused as to how Natsume knew the Hijiri family, Mikan glanced at the boy. Persona grasped her shoulders and steered her towards the Portal.

"Off you go, now," he said, pushing her towards the door. Mikan tumbled headfirst into the swirling energy.

"Make sure to kill them all."

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Mikan landed on a concrete slab and immediately used the Levitation Alice to help her fly on top of the wall. As she landed, no alarms blared, so she catapulted herself from the wall to the soft, springy grass below. Mikan had landed in a beautiful garden, its beauty accented by the soft petals of the cherry blossoms floating to the ground. Mikan ran and jumped, activating the Transparency Alice, which allowed her to pass through the window. Landing quietly on the carpeted hallway, she put on her mask.

"Time to work." Mikan whipped out the knife hidden on her wrist.

***present***

After she heard Persona say that, she had taken extra care to eliminate all the people from the cult and even eliminated the targets' families. In the end, the boy's family was already killed, due to the fact that the cult destroyed their target's family in order to get the child easily. Youichi Hijiri turned out to be a young silver-haired boy, with mint-green eyes and a plump baby face. He was only 8 and he had done nothing and also knew nothing of his family's murder. Mikan had slipped the kid a pill in his sleep that would send him into a sleep deeper than before for a time until they reached her house. Surprisingly, when she showed his face to the camera filming her, Persona hadn't said anything about her taking him to an orphanage. Instead, he had insisted that she take care of him, because it was her mission, after all.

"Youichi Hijiri is to be under your care from now on." was all he said. She had heard a relieved sigh (probably from that sissy of a fire-caster) from the earpiece when he said that. Come to think of it, she had seen a little similarity to the crimson-eyed boy (only way to describe him without swearing). Those glares, the way that they both held themselves and even how they talked was almost the same. It was uncanny. Of course the kid was younger by about 6 years so he was still a bit on the innocent side of Natsume.

"Ungg..." A groan drew her out of her thoughts. She shifted her attention to the child lying on the bed.

"Are you awake?" The boy, blinking his glowing green eyes, bolted up in fright at the sudden sound of her voice. He immediately started to summon a dark aura. Mikan's eyes widened a fraction. She put her hands up and hugged the young boy.

"It's okay," she murmured. "Everything is fine, You-chan."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Yo peeps! So I got some confused messages asking, "Why are there two Tsubasas?" "Are there two Tsubasas?" And I am saying, "No!" There are no second Tsubasa. This chapter right here is going to explain the confusion. So, on that note**

**LET'S BEGIN!**

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Mikan cracked her eyes open to a late night moon illuminating the room. The stars twinkled, the night breeze relieved the bit of heat left over from summer and a slamming door caught her attention. Looking at the clock, she saw that she had slept till 9. Next to her, Youichi slept peacefully, tear streaks still visible on his face. She wiped his face gently with a soft cloth. As soon as she climbed back in bed, the door slammed.

"Mikan!" The yell rang through the almost-vacant dormitory. She cringed and leaped off her bed. It was a good thing the other Special stars were out on missions. Mikan's footsteps thundered through the hallway.

"What, Tsubasa-nii?" Mikan shifted on her feet nervously in front of the furious teenager. He glowered at the brunette.

"Why didn't you introduce me as your brother?" he asked. Mikan sighed. She knew it would result to this outburst.

"Bro, I thought that you didn't like having a little sister that can whoop your butt," Mikan pointed out. Tsubasa assumed the Thinker's pose and nodded his head a couple times.

"That does make sense. But still, I was pretty hurt. I thought 'Why doesn't she want to have me as her older brother?" he said. Mikan looked up at him sadly, memories flashing in her mind. Realizing what he had just said, Tsubasa decided to drop the matter.

"By the way, when did you get home?" he asked.

"Around 4. The mission was pretty easy," she said. Tsubasa grinned and proudly patted her back. He knew that she would own that snot-nosed bastard of a flame-user. She was a special case when it came to Alices. A small cry came from her bedroom. Mikan stiffened and suddenly darted back down the hall. Tsubasa, confused, followed her.

"Wahhh!" The child had woken up and was crying again; only this time, he was crying because he didn't know where he was and he was still a little kid. Mikan immediately picked him up in her arms and rocked him back and forth.

"Shh, shh," Mikan crooned. "It's okay." The sobs that wracked his body simmered down to small sniffles and a few drops rolling down her shoulder. Tsubasa curiously glanced at the child.

"Who's he?" he asked. Mikan glanced at the boy in her arms. She shook her head, making sure the movement didn't wake the now-sleeping child. Tsubasa sighed, and shook his head.

"Alright. I won't ask until tomorrow. For now, let him sleep with you. He seems to like you better than he would me anyways." He opened the door to her room and tucked both of them in.

"Goodnight, Nii-chan," she whispered.

"Goodnight, squirt."

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*morning*

Mikan cracked her eyes open just as the first rays of sun poked out from behind the mountains. She tensed, bracing herself for a siren that was now nonexistent, and the deafening sound of guns, also nonexistent. She sighed and slipped out from under the covers. Pushing her feet into her fuzzy slippers, Mikan padded across to the bathroom. She turned on the cold water and splashed her face.

"Old habits really die hard, don't they," she whispered, water dripping from the ends of her eyelashes and nose. Mikan took a soft towel from the linen closet and patted her face. She walked back into her bedroom, smiling slightly from the still-sleeping child in her bed. Flashes of memory flicked through her mind.

***flashback***

"Mikan!" A 14-year-old Tsubasa whispered harshly. "Wake up! We have to be up in 3 minutes. The alarm is gonna ring and then if we don't get out in time, you know that the guards will be on us in a flash." A 12-year-old Mikan bolted from the sad rags of a blanket. She checked if the holster attached to her chest was still there. Tsubasa grabbed her hand and opened the metal door, cement walls scraping the hinges with a squeal. Their eyes adjusted quickly to the change in light. Immediately, Mikan's hand went to the knife and gun strapped to the holster. Drawing the gun, she cocked it at the targets set up outside their cell. Closing her eyes, she aimed and fired her bullets. Satisfaction flooded into her, seeing all the bullets meet their targets. However, there was no time to enjoy that burst of emotion because as she was reloading her gun, the machine-guard had caught up to them.

"Run, Nii-chan!" Mikan screamed at Tsubasa. The machine behind him loomed up and cast a shadow over the two. He stepped on the shadow, activating his Alice, and effectively stopped it from advancing.

"Go!" he yelled. "I can't move if I'm holding this thing back too!" Mikan shook her head vigorously, tears shining in her eyes.

"I'm not leaving you, Nii-chan!" she yelled back, the roar of the machine almost drowning both their voices out. Mikan latched herself onto Tsubasa's arm.

"You have to! They haven't discovered your Alice yet, so you're more valuable to them!" Tsubasa pushed Mikan away from him and towards the safety of the doctors in white suits at the end of the pathway.

"NO!"

***Flashback ends***

A sneeze drew her out of Memory Lane. Youichi had woken up and was leaning against the headboard, still half-asleep. He opened his eyes slightly, and he rubbed them. Mikan smiled gently, a little tinged with sadness.

"Don't worry," she whispered. "I'll be there to protect you."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hey guys! So last Saturday, I had my black belt testing and I bruised my knuckles, got some bleeding scratches and almost got a concussion. FUN! Lol I think doing it is fun but getting hurt isn't. But you know what they say; if it doesn't kill you, it makes you stronger. (I might've gotten that quote wrong... OH WELL!) So now, enjoy the 6th chapter~~**

**LET'S BEGIN!**

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"IMAI!" A loud shout echoed down the hallway of the High School Division classrooms. If you had been standing in that hallway at the time, you would have felt a huge wind passing by, seen a swish of midnight colored hair, maybe a flash of violet eyes, and strangely, a swan-shaped scooter. Then you would've heard the rumblings of a stampede crashing through the halls. Luckily, the floors were made by Alices so they couldn't be scratched, cracked or broken no matter what you did. (Except for the occasional Fire Alice blasts, and bombs.) Hotaru smirked as she tucked the developed pictures in her stylish canvas messenger bag. Ruka, riding on the back of a gazelle (where on earth did that animal come from?!) frantically whipped the makeshift rope reins and tapped his heels into the animal, spurring it forward faster. As they rumbled out of the building and into the paths leading to the dorms, Ruka realized where Hotaru's goal was.

"NO!" he screamed, as he saw her form slip into the girls' Special Star dormitory. She had reconstructed the machines guarding and running the dormitory so she had special access into the dorms.

Mikan looked up, startled (not really), at the panting girl in front of her. Hotaru strode towards the refrigerator in Mikan's room and opened it, taking a jar out. She searched for a spoon, opening the jar in the process. A pounding sounded at the entrance.

"IMAI! COME OUT THIS INSTANT!" Ruka's shouts could be heard throughout the dormitory. Luckily, the others were at the Dangerous Ability classroom, planning the next mission. Hotaru calmly sat down on the Pikachu shaped bean bag.

"Ne, Hotaru?" Mikan slid her hands under her chin, lying on her soft bed on her stomach. She ignored the shouts from the front of the dorm. A magazine was open in front of her but she paid it no attention.

"Hmm?" she responded, holding her favorite fish roe and crab innards delicately. Hotaru pushed the spoon into the goop in the jar, raising it to her lips. She moved to a different position on the bean bag.

"Are you in love with Ruka?" Hotaru choked, spittting out the crab innards violently. Hacking, she grabbed a half-full water bottle from the nightstand and gulped loudly. **(A/N: Is that maybe too OOC? I thought that would be a good thing to add for the plot.)** Mikan sat up curiously. The brunette had never seen the girl called the Ice Queen react that way to a simple question. Hotaru recovered and shakily placed her jar of crab down with her spoon inside. She fixed her expression and faced the patiently waiting brunette.

"Why would you ask that?" she said. Mikan shrugged a bit.

"I just remembered that you had loved to tease Ruka and take pictures of him though they were only for money," she replied. "In elementary school, when you went away and I chased after you to Alice Academy?" _And I was stupid enough to get mixed into that hellhole of events,_ she added in her mind. Hotaru shifted slightly.

"To be honest, I don't know anymore," Hotaru murmured, eyes shadowed with unknown emotions. "You remember that period of time when me and Nii-san were stuck in time?"

Mikan didn't reply, memories flitting in her mind. Hotaru looked up.

"Of course I remember, you idiot," Mikan whispered sorrowfully. "How could I forget the things I felt then? The pain... The fear of not being able to see you again... The panic that I had to deal with when I heard you couldn't be found... The list goes on." Hotaru chuckled without humor.

"I really had you worried back then, didn't I," she said, violet eyes twinkling in amusement, though it was mixed with a little sadness. Mikan nodded, then stood up.

"It's the reason why I went to make myself stronger."

**A/N: Sorry it's so short this time but I need to add some suspense. Can't I? Anyways thanks you guys and I'll see you next time! (Figuratively :D)**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I'm baaaaaaack! *Flies in through window brandishing tinfoil sword***

**\\(*O*)/ Ta Daaaaa! *bows and throws sword away***

**Alright enough of that. So I've posted my last chapter, Chapter 6. I really should name these chapters, shouldn't I. Oh weellllllll I don't really give a damn. Btw, Thank you soooo much **natsume sakura **for that wonderful heartwarming review! (****ç**** note the sarcasm-tinged voice there.) Yes I will post now. So on that note, start!**

**LET'S BEGIN!**

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"What?" Mikan squeaked. Crimson-colored eyes stared right through her eyes.

"I said. Be. My. Partner," he repeated slowly, as if talking to a little 5-year-old child. Her eyes widened and then suddenly disappeared from the boy's view. He did a double take, looking with a sweat drop at the cloud of steam currently obscuring his view of the hall.

Mikan streaked through the hallway like a bullet. Everyone going to lunch, basically in her way, was pushed aside (carefully enough) and "almost" trampled (the skanks mainly). She collided suddenly with Ruka's back, currently walking towards the infirmary. Ruka caught her by the arm as she fell backwards.

"Woah!" he exclaimed. "You okay?" Mikan breathed deeply in through her nose and exhaled. She cautiously looked back towards the other side of the hall where the now-absent Hyuuga had stood. Turning back around, Mikan met the confused gaze of the animal pheromone Alice owner. She sighed and shook her head, confusing the guy even further.

"What just happened? You look like you've been running away from your worst nightmare," he commented. She cracked a smile, not without amusement.

"Wow… Who would've thought that of all people, you would be the one I'd run into. And yes, I was actually running from my worst nightmare," she replied. He cocked one eyebrow.

"And what exactly would that be?"

**Time skip**

"So," Ruka sighed. "In actuality, you were only running from the idea of being Natsume's partner." Mikan nodded furiously, all the while chewing on an almond-cream-filled cannoli.

"I thought I hallucinating when he pulled me aside after class," she said, accepting her cup of tea from a waitress serving them. Ruka chuckled, putting his chin on his hand. A sudden clamor at the entrance to the cafeteria put a stop to their conversation. Ruka looked up and grinned.

"Hey, Mikan?"

"Hmm?"

"I think now would be a good time to run." Mikan finally glanced up at the doors. The blood drained from her face as she stared into the rage-filled, burning eyes of the one and only Prince of the school. She bolted from her seat, activating her Teleportation Alice. Natsume shot an annoyed look at Ruka.

"Why couldn't you keep her here and unaware of me for just a little longer?" it screamed. Ruka shrugged, a sheepish look on his face. Natsume glanced back to where the brunette had disappeared. He looked out the window, spotting her running towards the training center.

"Oh shit!" he grunted. He dashed towards the window and jumped, crashing through the glass as if it was made of foam.

'You have to pay for the window later, Natsume!" Ruka yelled. The running teenager raised a hand in answer to Ruka's statement. The blond 17-year-old laughed. He turned around only to be bombarded with stares and questions. Raising his hands in surrender, he summoned his animals to ward them off.

"This better work, Imai," he whispered into his lapel. The mushroom in his ear beeped.

"Don't worry, Usagi-shounen. (Rabbit-boy)" a voice replied. Inside her dorm room, the maiden laughed quietly. "This'll have to get them together somehow."

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Mikan stopped underneath a wonderfully blooming sakura tree. The wind rushed through the branches, sending petals scattering through the air. She bunched her legs up beneath her like a cat and sprang straight up into the flower-laden branches. Flipping, she propelled herself from one branch to another using them like launch pads for her hands.

"Oi! You coming down, Polka dots?" a voice emanated from the ground below. She frowned. _Polka-dots?_ Realization drained the blood from her face and abruptly returned in a blush that would have put red roses to shame. She pulled her skirt down another couple inches.

"Pervert," she called. She activated her Teleportation Alice and suddenly appeared behind the teenager. Tapping his shoulder, she vanished again and reappeared right in front of his face. Big mistake.

"Ow!" Both teenagers rubbed the bump on their respective foreheads.

"Geez. Did ya have to turn around that quickly?"

"Huh. And here I thought you were actually pretty smart for a guy."

"What do you mean by that? It doesn't make sense."

"Haaa… Never mind." Mikan pivoted towards the training center.

"You coming, Egg-boy?" Natsume frowned. Feelings of déjà-vu washed over him. _Egg-boy?_ She smirked. Mikan started to walk away.

"You might want to get that egg on your head checked before it swells up even more and damages the rest of your 2 brain cells," she called over her shoulder. Natsume felt up his forehead, realizing how big the lump on his forehead had gotten. A vein popped on his egg-ridden forehead.

**"I swear I'm gonna kill that brat."**

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"Hey, hey is that all you've got?" Mikan waggled her fingers, mocking the Fire Alice user. They had been training in preparation for another mission that was to be announced soon. So far, they had lifted weights, had target practice with daggers, and were in the middle of a sparring match. However, it wasn't much contest due to the training that Mikan had received in that unknown place. Of course, Natsume had no idea what she went through so he had seriously under-estimated the girl.

"How do you dodge everything and yet still manage to stay in the same spot?" he said, breathily. The fire user had tried every trick in the book; everything from bullets of flame to a fire bazooka. Then when that hadn't worked, he had switched to hand-to-hand combat. Getting in close and firing at an opponent was his specialty but was useless against one with a Nullification Alice and experience with close combat as well. The girl shrugged.

"I was well-trained," she vaguely said. Her eyes blanked out for a second, memories flying past in her mind like street traffic in NYC. **(A/N: I'm talking about the fast-forwarded scenes where the car lights are never ending. It's so cool to see it in real life though!)** Natsume, seeing the spaced-out look, seized the chance to quietly throw a curving fireball towards her head. Snapping out of her daze, she ducked and let it curve around back towards its thrower. Mikan flashed a smug smile at him. Throwing his hands up in the air, he gestured for her to take the offensive from there on out. She cocked an eyebrow quizzically.

"You sure?" she said. Crimson eyes locked with hazel in a serious dead heat. Gritting her teeth, she nodded and closed her eyes. Natsume braced himself for anything to come. However, he didn't expect the room to suddenly get dark as an aura surrounded the girl. His eyes widened, unsure whether to run away or stay put. Apparently he didn't need to decide because she came to him. Natsume couldn't tear his eyes away from the mesmerizing face just centimeters away from his own. They were so close that if he leaned down slightly, they'd be kissing. The girl's eyes were still closed. He moved forward a fraction of a centimeter and was met with eyes that sparkled like a galaxy of stars instead of the warm hazelnut that was usually her normal gaze. Startled, he tried to jerk backwards but couldn't. He couldn't move at all. Not even a finger. Not even his eyes would move the way he wanted them to. Mikan raised a single smooth hand, the fingers decorated with Alice controller rings. A sudden urge to intertwine his own fingers into hers overcame him. Heart pounding, he slightly raised his hand to meet hers when something bumped into his legs, pushing him backwards a couple steps.

"Nee-chan! Stop it!

Natsume broke out of the trance, looked down and saw a little child with hair as silver as a well-polished dagger and eyes as green as a mint leaf.

"Youichi!" Mikan screamed. It was too late by the time the child looked up at her. The ball of dark energy formed in her hand was released, aiming straight for him. Natsume curled his body around the child and put his back to the ball. Closing his eyes, he braced himself for the excruciating pain. But it never came. He didn't feel anything else other than a slight wind passing through his hair. He cracked his eyes open slightly. Standing in front of him was the girl who had fired the very ball of energy at him. She collapsed and started to convulse on the ground. Both boys' eyes widened in fear.

"Mikan!" "Onee-chan!"


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hey guys! So there's been a change in my surroundings as of late. My grandfather has just passed away and I was in the middle of mourning with my family. Thus, I went to Korea and was at a funeral. Of course by the time I post this, I definitely won't be in Korea. I am now at home, lounging on my couch with my computer, a tub of ice cream and no, I don't have the Notebook playing in the background. Anyways, let's get started because I know soon my friends will be over and screaming throughout the house.**

**LET'S BEGIN!**

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Natsume put his hands on the pristine sheets of the bed and gripped them tightly. Next to him, Youichi stared at Mikan's sleeping face.

"Is Nee-chan gonna be alright?" the little boy asked. Natsume put a hand on the child's head and ruffled his hair.

"This Nee-chan is stronger than you ever know. I bet she'll be fine," he said. "Hey, Youichi, why don't you go get something to eat? It's lunchtime already and you haven't eaten since this morning." Youichi nodded and left, asking one of the nurses adorably to lead him to the cafeteria. Natsume stared at Mikan's face. Mikan's eyes fluttered open. Sight blurry, she blinked a couple times. He lifted his hand and brushed a strand of hair out of Mikan's face.

"Hyuuga." That one word felt like a knife in his heart. He closed his eyes exasperatedly.

"When are you going to start calling me Natsume?" he said quietly. "We are officially partners and you greet me with honorifics." Mikan didn't look surprised. Instead, she smiled ruefully.

"I knew you would go ahead with it whether you got my approval or not," she chuckled. Pain flashed across her face as she shifted around. He stepped forward, unsure of what to do. Waving him forward with one hand, she beckoned him closer. Natsume's heart pumped loudly, so loud that he thought she could hear it.

"Thank you." His heart soared. Taking her hand, he laid it on his cheek and put his warm hand over hers. She looked a bit uncomfortable but allowed it. Mikan knew that she had scared him a lot with the fainting. She figured even if he was a murderer like her, he only saw strangers killed so he didn't care for them at all. This was a different story. Natsume hadn't experienced anyone close to him getting hurt as bad as she did. Thus, this little accident had scared the daylights out of him. The pitter patter of feet broke them out of their trance. He backed away and let go of her hand. She, a bit disappointed, sank back into the pillows. Hotaru, Ruka, heck, almost everyone from their class had come down. Youichi came back in after eating a delicious lunch in the cafeteria.

"Mikan!" they chorused. She started to sit up again when a strong hand pushed her back down. She glanced at the hand and then into vibrant violet-colored eyes.

"Hotaru," she croaked. Hotaru looked into the maiden's face, relieved. The door suddenly burst open, revealing a panting Tsubasa and Misaki right behind him.

"Mikan!" he shouted, seeing her lying down on the bed. The group standing in front of her bed parted. Tsubasa rushed to her side, took one of her pale hands and squeezed it tightly.

"Nii-chan," she whispered. Everyone's eyes widened with the exception of Youichi.

"NII-CHAN?!"

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"So yeah. Me and Mikan are brother and sister," Tsubasa sheepishly concluded. He scratched the back of his head. Mikan shook her head affectionately at her idiot brother. Kokoroyome, a Mind-Reading Alice user a.k.a. Koko, and Kitsuneme, a Levitating Alice user a.k.a. Kitsu, snickered at Mikan's thoughts as Koko read them. She instantly whipped around and glared at the pair.

"Read my mind again and I'm gonna beat you to a pulp," she mouthed. He scoffed and smirked. Raising a single eyebrow, she evilly grinned. Kitsu slightly shivered at the pair of evil eyes as Koko whispered her message to him as well.

_Wanna try me?_ she thought. Koko raised a hand and crooked his fingers towards her. _Bring it on!_ the gesture screamed. Natsume caught Koko's eye and curiously raised an eyebrow. Kitsu smiled and raised his hand.

"Even though Yukihira-san is still recovering, she has challenged me and Koko to a two-on-one hand-to-hand combat match. Is this alright to do right now?" Kitsu announced. Mikan's eyes widened, in surprise. She had thought they would chicken out but if they insisted, then... Determined, she stripped off the IV drip, the clip on her finger monitoring her vitals, and her hospital gown. Luckily, they had put on the gown over her clothes so she wasn't naked. Koko's eyes widened next.

"Wait a second. You're okay?!" He had known about the training between her and Natsume from Natsume but had thought that she would be at least a bit injured after going at it with Natsume-san. She didn't have a scratch on herself at all! Kitsu opened the door to lead her outside. Instead, she opened the window and smirked.

"You thought that little training session is enough to hurt me? Hmph! Don't make me laugh." And with that she vanished. The group stood with gaping mouths. Only Tsubasa wasn't surprised at all that she wanted to fight even after she fainted. Instead, he crossed his arms and sighed heavily.

"Don't get yourself hurt, you idiot," he said, all the while knowing that she could hear him just fine. A response soon came back in the form of telepathy.

"Don't you worry, Nii-chan. I won't hurt them as much as a certain Egg-boy would if he was facing them right now." She chuckled at the inside joke. Tsubasa, understanding that he won't get anything out of her anytime soon, gave up and turned to leave. Natsume ran to the window and looked down. She was standing there, underneath, waiting for the pair to come down.

"Unbelievable. She's fine," he said. Tsubasa came and patted his shoulder.

"Of course she is. It's expected because she and I used t-" he cut himself off, realizing what he was about to tell in front of everyone else. "Well, that's another story but still. She's fairly used to it." He left the room and went back to class with Misaki, reassured that his little sister was fine.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: ... Alright... Let the throwing of tomatoes commence... Please don't kill me... I've been so busy lately that I couldn't even open my laptop for any other reason than homework... I'm sorry to the people who like this story. So I'm gonna try to make this an extra long chapter. Also, in apology, I'm handing out virtual ****cookies and cupcakes! I think I'm gonna have more time this week so I will try to post another chapter soon after this one!**

**LET'S BEGIN!**

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Koko glanced around the forest surrounding him. He tuned out the sounds from the wildlife and the other students in the Academy. He focused his Alice to the limits, searching for a blind spot that would most definitely be the new girl. Kitsu's voice trailed into his mind, his thoughts transmitted directly through Koko's Alice.

"She's not anywhere. I'm skimming the trees right now and I can't see her at all," Kitsu said. He landed next to Koko. Koko shook his head, dislodging a couple leaves that had floated from the branches. He looked around once more, trying to pinpoint large blank spots. Suddenly, a stone hit his head.

"Hey! You guys, I'm over here!" Mikan's singsongy voice caroled merrily. Kitsu immediately flew to the spot, however, he didn't find anything to his dismay.

"Nope, wrong spot!" her voice sang. This time it was in the opposite direction from where Koko stood. Koko ran to the source, again finding nothing to his disappointment.

"Haha! You guys suck at this g- Kyah!" she shrieked, feeling a hand clamp down on her waist. It hoisted her up and threw her roughly over a well-built shoulder. She stuck out a hand and splayed her palm against the person's back. Activating her copied Dark Alice, **(A/N: Sorry guys. I know you're enjoying the story but one little thing about the Alices and powers mentioned. I made up some of the Alices so don't worry if you read the name of an Alice that is never mentioned in the episodes or manga.)** she imagined the effect that she wanted it to have on this stranger.

_Sleep._ She created a dark ball and infused sleepiness into it. Mikan smirked and was about to press her palm against the back when she was thrown to the ground.

"Oof!" She landed with a thump on the ground. The dark ball dissipated into thin air. She looked up, about to give a piece of her mind to the bastard who dared to interrupt, when her eyes met flaming crimson irises. Mikan crouched and masked her slight surprise. Apparently it was no use.

"Oh? Is the greenhorn scared? Shouldn't you be fearless after what you did in the past?" he teased, grinning with his eyes closed. Cracking one eye open, he took a glance at the girl crouched low on the ground. He did a double-take at the way that her expression had changed. It was frightening, flickering with fiery tendrils of rage.

"How would you know what I've done?" she murmured, a dark aura gathering around her shoulders. She stood up and walked until she was almost kissing him. Natsume felt his ears turn slightly hotter than before. Her eyes looked up defiantly into his. If anyone who had known her for her whole life, namely her brother, had been there, they would've been able to detect the small trace of sadness and guilt too. However, people couldn't read the emotions of strangers that they had just met a week ago. Especially Mikan's.

"W-well I would've figured that you had done missions since you know that you have an Alice so you would've gone to Alice Academy and learned about it then. Plus, you looked really comfortable doing missions," he admitted, telling the truth because he had a chilling feeling that if he had lied, he would get killed.

"Oh really? Did I?" she said, her voice as soft as velvet over a razor-sharp knife. There really was no mistaking the sharpness of her rage. The people standing nearby, Koko and Kitsu, had been fooling around within the branches of the trees but even they had stood frozen when they heard the way that her voice curled around their necks and strangled them with just four words. Natsume took one step back from her, then automatically chided himself for looking weak. Mikan retracted her hand and turned around. Natsume let out an inaudible but still visible sigh of relief.

"Y-yeah..." he trailed off. "Uh, is it alright for me to go now?" Natsume rubbed his neck, a bit embarrassed at having to ask for permission to leave. She visibly loosened and sagged tiredly.

"Yes. It's fine. I won't kill you now," she said quietly. Glancing at the two hiding in the trees, she cracked a tiny, mocking smile. "I'll win next time without any interference," she called up to them. Koko and Kitsu looked surprised that she was being so calm and kind. They glanced at each other, shrugged and left to their respective dorms. She turned back to Natsume.

"You should go instead of gaping at how nice I'm being right now," she said. He jolted and picked his mouth up from the ground. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he too departed and left her alone. Finally, no one was around to see Mikan's eyes cloud in grief, anger, and guilt. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, one lone teardrop escaping from its prison and rolling freely down her cheek. She teleported herself further into the woods, landing on the largest cherry blossom tree in the center of the woods. Lost in memories, Mikan's tears flowed like a river, pooling at her chin and then falling down into the depths of the tree's branches. Pillowing her face in her arms, she quietly cried.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

"Jeez. Where could have Natsume gone off to?" Ruka griped. He strolled along the pathway from the training center, the woods shifting under the light breeze on both sides. He wove between trees, bypassing the center. If he had been listening while walking, he would've heard the soft sounds of sobbing drifting from within the branches of the cherry blossom tree.


End file.
